Home

Golf

Tiger Woods Credits One Man for Making Him Get Into Golf and It’s Not His Dad

Published 03/20/2022, 12:17 PM EDT

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Tiger Woods had gained the title ‘greatest golfer of all time’ because of his talent and hard work. However, it is not a secret to the golf world that his father had a huge impact in making his career. Nevertheless, the GOAT had revealed that it is not his father but someone else who is the sole reason for his existence in the sport. 

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Charlie and the other pioneers who fought to play,” said Woods. “I may not be playing golf.” The golfer shared this information with Associated Press through an email. “My pop likely wouldn’t have picked up the sport,” Woods added. “I wouldn’t have either.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Charlie Sifford was the first-ever black golfer to get a membership on the PGA Tour. He joined the PGA in 1961 and had won two events during his career. His fight against the ‘Caucasian only‘ rule in the sport had helped people of all races to play in an official tournament.

He was also the first black golfer to get inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. He had also received the 2014 Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-President Barack Obama for changing the outlook of the sport. 

Read more: ‘There’s Not a Better Athlete on Tour’: Veteran Caddie Reveals the Staggering Accuracy of Dustin Johnson

As part of the black community, Woods, too, would have faced difficulties to achieve his dreams if not for Sifford. Woods has always been appreciative of Sifford for this and had kept a close relationship with him until his death in 2015. 

Tiger Woods considered Charlie Sifford as his grandfather!

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Woods wrote this above tweet a day later after Charlie Sifford passed away. “I’ve always called him my grandpa, the grandpa I never really had,” the GOAT had said about Sifford. Even Sifford had shared the same feelings as he used to refer to Woods as ‘my grandson.’ Woods has even named his son Charlie Axel Woods after Sifford.  

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Golf stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Woods has won more than eighty PGA Tour events, thanks to Sifford’s effort to make golf accessible for everyone despite their race. If not for Sifford, the golf world might have never gotten to experience the class game of Woods.

Watch This Story: Tiger Woods Once Revealed How 9/11 Impacted His Vision for the Future

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

ADVERTISEMENT

Written by:

Anjana Prabhakaran

1,190Articles

One take at a time

Anjana Prabhakaran is a Golf content writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Master's degree in Public Administration and considers researching as one of her hobbies. As her family is interested in sports, Anjana grew up watching every sport on television.
Show More>

Edited by:

Deepika Bhaduri

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT